Small robot capable of running and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12535812-B2
Application number	US-202318234712-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2023
Priority date	Jul 27, 2022
Publication date	Jan 27, 2026
Grant date	Jan 27, 2026

Abstract

A robot includes: a body portion; at least one sensor provided in the body portion; a first wheel and a second wheel provided on opposite sides of the body portion and configured to rotate; a first driver configured to rotate the first wheel and the second wheel with respect to a first rotation axis; a second driver configured to eccentrically rotate the first wheel and the second wheel with respect to a second rotation axis; and at least one processor configured to: control the first driver and the second driver to cause the robot to move along a route by rotating the first wheel and the second wheel, identify, based on sensing data obtained through the at least one sensor, an obstacle for climbing on the route, and based on identifying the obstacle, control the second driver to eccentrically rotate the first wheel and the second wheel with respect to the second rotation axis, and to shift the first wheel and the second wheel in a direction from a first position to a second position to increase a size of a wheel base of the robot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A robot comprising:
a body portion; at least one sensor provided in the body portion; a first wheel and a second wheel provided on opposite sides of the body portion and configured to rotate; a first driver configured to rotate the first wheel and the second wheel with respect to a first rotation axis; a second driver configured to eccentrically rotate the first wheel and the second wheel with respect to a second rotation axis; memory storing at least one instruction; and at least one processor configured to execute the at least one instruction, wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, causes the robot to:
control the first driver and the second driver to cause the robot to move along a route by rotating the first wheel and the second wheel,
identify, based on sensing data obtained through the at least one sensor, an obstacle for climbing on the route,
based on identifying the obstacle, control the second driver to eccentrically rotate the first wheel and the second wheel with respect to the second rotation axis, and to shift the first wheel and the second wheel in a direction from a first position to a second position to increase a size of a wheel base of the robot, and
based on identifying that the robot does not move for a preset time based on at least one of location information in a running map corresponding to a running space of the robot or rounds per minute (RPM) information, identify that the robot is not capable of climbing the obstacle.

2 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, further causes the robot to:
based on the first wheel and the second wheel being in the second position and identifying that that the obstacle is not climbed based on location information in a running space of the robot or sensing data acquired through the at least one sensor, control the second driver to eccentrically rotate the first wheel at a first rotation angle with respect to the second rotation axis, and eccentrically rotate the second wheel at a second rotation angle with respect to the second rotation axis.

3 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, further causes the robot to, based on identifying the obstacle, control the second driver to shift the first wheel and the second wheel forward with respect to the body portion by eccentrically rotating the first wheel and the second wheel with respect to the second rotation axis, and stopping the eccentric rotation of the first wheel and the second wheel once the first wheel and the second wheel are shifted by a predetermined interval or a preset rotation angle with respect to the first position.

4 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the at least one memory stores information about an operation corresponding to a plurality of emotion expressions, and
wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, further causes the robot to: based on identifying at least one emotion expression among the plurality of emotion expressions according to a preset event, identify operation information corresponding to the at least one emotion expression based on the operation information stored in the at least one memory, and control at least one of the first driver or the second driver based on the operation information.

5 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a camera or a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor, and
wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, further causes the robot to, based on at least one of an image acquired through the camera and data acquired through the LiDAR sensor, identify whether an obstacle for climbing is present on the route.

6 . The robot of claim 5 , wherein the at least one memory stores a trained neural network model, and
wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, further causes the robot to identify whether the obstacle for climbing is present on the route by inputting at least one of the acquired image or the acquired data to the trained neural network model.

7 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the robot to:
identify whether the robot is overturned based on sensing data acquired through the at least one sensor, and based on identifying that the robot is overturned, control the second driver to rotate at least one of the first wheel or the second wheel a preset number of times and at a preset angular speed with respect to the second rotation axis.

8 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the first rotation axis corresponds to a central location of the first wheel and the second wheel, and
wherein the second rotation axis corresponds to a location spaced apart from the center of the first wheel and the second wheel by a preset distance.

9 . A method of controlling a robot comprising a body portion, first and second wheels provided on opposite sides of the body portion, a first driver, a second driver, and at least one sensor, the method comprising:
controlling at least one of the first driver and the second driver to cause the robot to move along a route by rotating the first wheel and the second wheel with respect to at least one of a first rotation axis or a second rotation axis of each of the first wheel and the second wheel; identifying, based sensing data obtained through the at least one sensor, an obstacle for climbing on the route; based on identifying the obstacle, controlling the second driver to eccentrically rotate the first wheel and the second wheel with respect to the second rotation axis, and shift the first wheel and the second wheel in a direction from a first position to a second position to increase in a size of a wheel base of the robot; and based on identifying, that the robot does not move for a preset time based on at least one of location information in a running map corresponding to a running space of the robot or rounds per minute (RPM) information, identifying that the robot is not capable of climbing the obstacle.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
based on the first wheel and the second wheel being in the second position and identifying that that the obstacle is not climbed based on location information in a running space of the robot or sensing data acquired through the at least one sensor, controlling the second driver to eccentrically rotate the first wheel at a first rotation angle with respect to the second rotation axis, and eccentrically rotate the second wheel at a second rotation angle with respect to the second rotation axis.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the controlling the second driver to shift the first wheel and the second wheel to the second position comprises controlling the second driver to shift the first wheel and the second wheel forward with respect to the body portion by eccentrically rotating the first wheel and the second wheel with respect to the second rotation axis, and stopping the eccentric rotation of the first wheel and the second wheel once the first wheel and the second wheel are shifted by a predetermined interval or a preset rotation angle with respect to the first position.

12 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
based on identifying at least one emotion expression amon

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lim Baeseok
• Koo Donghan
• Lee Woosub

Classifications

• G05D1/021 Primary

  specially adapted to land vehicles · CPC title

• G05D1/495 Primary

  to ensure stability · CPC title

• B25J19/02

  Sensing devices · CPC title

• B25J13/08

  by means of sensing devices, e.g. viewing or touching devices · CPC title

• B25J9/16

  Program controls (total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, G05B19/418) · CPC title